Cover Reveal and the Specter of Thick Books
Welcome to the April issue of Hacker Chronicles!
I'm happy to reveal the official cover for the print edition of Submerged. See Writing Update.
Then we'll dive into an important topic for both readers and authors: what is the right size of a novel? And I'll share four thick books that are waiting in my bookcase because it's such an undertaking to read them.
Finally, a heads up that I'll review the hacker thriller movie Blackhat (2015) and the highly influential movie V for Vendetta (2005) in upcoming newsletter issues. So be sure to (re)watch those.
Enjoy!
/John
Writing Update
Here it is, the cover of Submerged, by Lance Buckley. As you can tell, it's based on the draft I developed. You are the first outside my family to see the finished thing.
Here's the front and back, flattened out:
I have pixelated the backside blurb to not spoil anything. My recommendation is to not read it if you want a spoiler-free experience once you have the book in your hand. It's virtually impossible to give readers an impression of the book without sharing some of what the story entails.
Here's a mock of the paperback:
You may recall my September issue Generative AI in Writing and the NaNoWriMo Conflict. And I've shared yearly in November my participation in the National Novel Writing Month.
Sadly, NaNoWriMo is shutting down. They've had several years of deteriorating finances and were not able to focus on fundraising because of child safety issues with their Young Writers space that had to take priority. Full notes from the Executive Director on YouTube.
April Feature: The Specter of Thick Books
I have a few thick books that haunt me. I want to read them but the undertaking is just too much. We'll get to the top four thick novels you can see stacked on my desk here, and my relationship to them, but first—what is the ideal size book?
Expectations per Genre
As I was writing my first novel Identified, I got advice from established authors and agents on its length. When you're a debut author, you don't want additional hurdles for readers. You have to get them to take a chance on you.
Part of that is living up to expectations of cover design, high-quality copy edit, pacing, plot structure, and … length.
Below are guidelines for authors per genre. It's no science and you can have cross-overs like historical romance.
- 150,000+ words, or above 600 pages in print:
- Epic fantasy
- 90,000 - 120,000 words, or 400 to 500 pages:
- Science fiction
- Fantasy
- Historical fiction
- 70,000 - 90,000 words, or between 300 and 400 pages:
- Thriller
- Mystery
- Crime
- Horror
- 50,000 - 70,000, or up to 300 pages:
- Romance
- Young adult
Part of these expectations is value for money and entertainment value. If you're into fantasy, you tend to want lots of world building and an explanation of a magic system. If you favor romance, you want a quicker payoff than 500 pages.
The Challenge as an Author
I tend to overshoot, i.e. write too long and then have to cut. For Identified I had to cut the first nine chapters (!) and pull forward the pieces necessary for the story.
Such a process may sound non-creative and negative for the work. I don't see it that way. Editing is a fundamental part of writing. And for me as a reader, a thriller over 400 pages makes me reluctant. I know firsthand that expectations matter.
Identified turned out to be 382 pages in print, plus things like copyright page and acknowledgements. My upcoming novel Submerged is 391 pages. Cutting it close.
The Challenge as a Reader
Established authors don't have to play by the rules. They have dedicated readers who know their work is well worth it.
I have friends who look forward to thick books. It simply gives them more of what they want. 1,000+ pages is a selling point for them.
Personally, the only thick books I've had no problem with are the first four in the fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, popularly known as Game of Thrones. They're about a thousand pages each.
Below are the four thick books still waiting for me in my bookcase, and my relationship to them. They're listed in rising order of page count.
The Four Thick Books Waiting For Me
Red Storm Rising, 652 pages
Red Storm Rising is an epic war novel, written by Tom Clancy and Larry Bond. Clancy is one of two fathers or the technothriller genre and the creator of the great Jack Ryan character. The book is about the Cold War which fascinates me.
It's on my research list since my own writing deals with cyber conflict at a global level and Red Storm Rising is a fictional exploration of how war breaks out.
My brother-in-law recommends it highly. I need to read it soon.
Cryptonomicon, 910 pages
Neal Stephenson is together with Philip K. Dick and William Gibson the top authors in the cyberpunk genre. Several friends swear by Cryptonomicon and I really enjoyed Stephenson's Snow Crash.
Cryptonomicon deals with WWII code breaking as well as 1990s cryptography, so more of historical fiction than Snow Crash. But still right up my alley. It's a darn shame I haven't been able to read it yet.
The Lord of the Rings, 1069 pages
The Lord of the Rings is the foundation of the fantasy genre. Now, in this case I'm excused because I read the three parts in Swedish many years ago. However, this is my late father's copy with all three parts in a single volume, as Tolkien intended it.
This copy is so heavy that it's a problem holding it while reading. But I have to experience this masterpiece in its original language.
The Count of Monte Cristo, 1243 Pages
I was at a professional web security standards meeting and spoke to world-known authentication expert Vittorio Bertocci. He was thrilled that I had recently published Identified and recommended the best book he ever read—The Count of Monte Cristo. I was convinced on the spot that I have to read it.
Devastatingly, Vittorio passed away in 2023 after a brief battle with terminal illness. The online identity community celebrated his legacy with several praising posts, for instance Auth0's In Celebration of Vittorio Bertocci.
Vittorio Bertocci, with his amazing hair.
After Vittorio died, I became even more convinced that I have to read The Count of Monte Cristo. I will.
Do You Have Similar Issues With Thick Books?
Do you also struggle to read thick books? Or are you of the kind who feels great about over 600 pages because it's just more of the good stuff? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Similar to the length of the book is the length of its chapters. I find myself favor short chapters more and more and I make sure to write that way too.
As for the length of my writing, I will target 70,000 rather than 90,000 words for my next novel. We'll see how it goes.
Currently Reading
I finished reading Kill Decision by fellow hacker fiction author Daniel Suarez, and Det förlorade paradiset by Prof. Sara Kristoffersson.
Now I'm reading Ian Fleming's Thunderball. It's was based on a script written by Ian Fleming, Kevin McClory, and Jack Whittingham, and it's the novel that introduces the legendary supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld and the criminal organization SPECTRE.